Discovery
by Medie Shanachie
Summary: It's always fun to learn something new about the person you're dating.


_Author's Note: It's always fun to find out new things about the person you're dating. This takes place not long after "Risque Rendezvous" and just gives a little more insight into Aiden and Lorne. Warning on the language and slight sexual situations._

_Standard disclaimer on Lorne; Aiden belongs to me. Not making any money on this._

* * *

Lorne rolled over in bed to watch Aiden walk across the room. She had mumbled something about wanting a drink, then crawled out of his arms. heir relationship was still new enough that he was discovering new things about her each time he looked. He took every opportunity to get lost in her beauty. The low level of light in the room gave him just enough illumination to make out features and shapes. He blinked as he realized he could also see something on her ass. "Aiden," he called, "is there something stuck to your butt?"

Her steps stuttered, then she gave a shrug, and answered, "Sorta," before continuing into the bathroom.

He levered himself up, leaning on his elbow. "Define sorta." The lights brightened a little at his thought so it was easier to see.

"Yes, there is something on my ass, but it's not exactly stuck there," she answered as she came back out of the bathroom.

"What is it?"

"A tattoo."

"_You_ have a _tattoo_?" he questioned. "Aiden, you _hate_ needles."

"I'm aware of that." She crossed the room again and pushed against him, motioning for him to make room for her. "Yet I have a tattoo."

He looked down at her as she snuggled up against him. "What is it? Why do you have it? And _why_ is it on your _ass_?"

"You don't normally ask this many questions," she grumbled.

He poked her when she didn't answer him after a few minutes. "Well?"

She sighed. "It's a pink rosebud. I lost a bet. So I don't have to actually look at it." She glared at his chest. "Happy now?"

He couldn't help it; he started to laugh. She just sounded so disgusted about the whole ordeal. "You have a _pink_ rosebud tattooed on your _ass_ because you _lost_ a bet?" he asked.

"Yes," she confirmed, still refusing to look at him.

"If you hate it that much, why don't you get it removed?" he wondered.

"Did you miss the part about it being a bet?" she demanded.

"Yeah, but still." He shook his head. "It just doesn't seem to fit you."

"Hence the bet."

"How long have you had it?" he wanted to know.

"Since I was eighteen. I got it a few days after my birthday."

He brushed her hair aside and kissed the shoulder he had bared. "Can I see it?"

Now she turned the glare that had been centered on his chest up to his face. "You saw it. That's why all the questions."

"I got a glimpse of something on your butt. I'd like to actually see it."

Heaving a sigh, she rolled onto her stomach, shoving the blanket down as she did. After a second, she reached for it. "You've seen it."

Lorne grabbed the blanket she could get a good grip on it. He didn't say anything to her as he pulled it back so her ass was bare to the air and her legs were covered so he could study the mark on her left cheek. It wasn't very big, maybe four inches all told, but the bud part was a very distinct pink. He traced a finger over the flower, almost expecting to feel the soft petals of the flower. Whoever had done the work had been an absolute artist; it looked so real. "Don't move," he told her.

She twisted around to try to see what he was doing as he reached across her for his sketch book and a pencil that lay on the nightstand. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I told you not to move," he replied as he settled back down, then he looked at her. She had turned and was looking over her shoulder at him so that her hair spilled across her back and he could see the curve of her breast just peeking out at him. "On second thought, can you hold that position for a few minutes?"

"Yeah. Probably." She frowned. "Ev, what are you doing?"

"Just stay like that until I tell you." To distract her while he drew, he asked, "Who did you make the bet with that resulted in you getting the tattoo?" As he started the broad strokes that would be her back, he watched her carefully.

She grinned at the memory. "Daren."

"Your brother made you get a tattoo?" He worked quickly, not wanting her to have to stay in that pose for too long.

"Yes. Never bet with Daren. He doesn't often lose."

"So what was the bet about?"

"Well, it all started about five days before my eighteenth birthday," she began.

"Mmm-hmm," he said to encourage her as he continued drawing. His fingers itched to touch the expanse of skin that was currently taking shape under his pencil, but he wanted to capture this moment before it disappeared so he resisted the urge.

"Daren had spent ten months in Germany studying and at the end of the school year, he decided to stay for a few extra weeks. Partially he wanted to take one last class; partially he was just enjoying himself and wasn't ready to come home yet. Mom and Dad were fine with him staying, but I missed him. So they let me go over to spend a couple of weeks with him." She started to turn farther to look at him.

"Stay put, Aiden," he warned. "Not much longer. Finish up your story. How does you visiting Daren end with you getting a tattoo?"

She easily settled back into the position he wanted and picked up the thread of her story. "For my birthday, Daren decided to take me to a mixed bar."

"A what?" Lorne interrupted to ask.

"A mixed bar--gay and straight people hang out and dance and drink and stuff." When she saw he understood, she went on, "We went in, had a couple of drinks, and then Daren's friends started placing bets on each other. Daren wouldn't let any of them lay bet on me, but that didn't prevent him from setting me up himself. I had to hit on a guy and pick him up, but I couldn't tell him I was an American or speak any English until I walked out of the bar with him."

"Doesn't sound too hard," Lorne said.

She giggled, disturbing her pose, but he was almost finished so he didn't chide her. "It's not if you're sober, but I wasn't by then. I picked up a guy pretty quickly and he plied me with drinks. And before you get too upset, Daren was never very far from me. I was so close, Fritz and I were just going to start towards the door when he decided to try to impress me with his English. I don't remember what he said now, but he mangled it badly and I couldn't help myself."

Lorne grinned, knowing what she was going to say. "You corrected him," he guessed.

She nodded. "That I did. And just like that...Daren swooped in and crowed 'bus-ted!' A couple of days later, we went down and I got the tattoo. He picked out the design, I picked where it went, and he held my hands while I had it inked." She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Are you done with what you're doing? Can I see?"

He flipped the sketch book closed and shook his head. "I'm done for now, but no, you can't see." He tossed it back on to the nightstand and put his hand on her back as she started to turn over. "Not yet," he whispered huskily.

She tried to turn and see what he was doing as he leaned towards her. "Eeeevaaaan," she groaned as he kissed the tattoo and then ran his tongue around the outline. She groaned again as he moved up to the small of her back and placed a kiss there.

"Well, you may hate it, but I personally find it really sexy," he said, inter-spacing his words with kisses up her spine. "Would you like me to show you how much?"

She rolled over within the circle of his arms and ran her hands down his body. "Absolutely," she whispered back as he dimmed the lights with a thought.


End file.
